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How do I launch a tunnel connection?

Auvik’s remote tunnel feature allows users to initiate a VPN-like connection to devices on client networks where Auvik has been deployed. Common use cases include:

Requiring access to a web GUI on a non-standard port on a device

Requiring use of a protocol other than SSH / Telnet or HTTP / HTTPS to access a device (e.g., RDP, VNC, or FTP)

There are three main components to Auvik’s remote tunnelling feature:

A tunnel client you download and use on your local machine.

The Auvik cloud.

The Auvik collector you’ve downloaded and deployed on a client’s network.

By default, there's a maximum of 20 tunnels sessions allowed per client, and you’re only allowed 5 personal tunnel connections for a single client. Once these limits have been reached, no new connections are allowed.

How to install the tunnel client

Before you’re able to start a tunnel connection to a client device, you must install the tunnel client. The installation needs to be completed against each desktop or server you plan on using for connecting to the client’s devices.

By default, the tunnel pop-up shows the version based on the operating system you’re logged into the clients Auvik dashboard with.

Host Operating Systems

The tunnel client is supported on the following operating systems.

Apple macOS x

Linux 32-bit

Linux 64-bit

Windows 7 or higher (x86 or x64)

Windows Server 2008 or higher (x86 or x64)

Download the client

The client only needs to be downloaded and installed once per operating system you plan on using to establish a tunnel connection.

From a device dashboard, hover over the Remote Management button and click Remote Tunnel.

How to establish a tunnel connection

If you haven’t installed the Auvik tunnel client, do that first.

Quick connection

If you don’t have the device details handy, you can establish a tunnel connection to a client’s device from the Auvik device dashboard. If you have the device details handy, you can use the advanced connection method.

* NOTE: Port 6666 is considered malware by most browsers. If you’re planning on a remote browse connection, we recommend you pick a different port for connecting.

From a device dashboard, hover over the Remote Management button and click Remote Tunnel.

Select the protocol that will be used for the connection: TCP or UDP.

If the device has more than one IP address, from the Device IP dropdown, select the appropriate IP address.

Enter the device port to use. The port must be in the range of 1 to 65535 (*).

Enter a local port to use. The port must be in the range of 1 to 65535 (*). If no local port is specified, a random port will be used.

Click Connect. A .tunnel file will be downloaded.

Now that you've configured the tunnel for the device, time to start the connection.

Now that the connection has been established, you can move on to accessing the device using your favourite connection tool.

Advanced connection

If you have the device details handy, you can establish a tunnel connection to a client’s device by running a command to start the tunnel connection. If you don’t have the device details handy, you can always use the basic connection method.

To execute the connection command, you’ll need:

The device's IP address.

The client’s Auvik domain.

For Apple macOS and Linux users, open a terminal session.

For Windows users, search for command prompt, right-click and select Run as administrator.

In the terminal/command prompt window, change the directory to where the client executable was installed.

The command is broken down as follows:

./AuvikTunnel

the client

tcp:7777

udp:7777

the protocol and device port defined from the Auvik device dashboard

10.0.40.45

the IP address of the device

3389

the default TCP/UDP port

nanook

the Auvik domain of the client where the device resides

Set the detail after ./AuvikTunnel for the device where you’d like the connection established. The command to establish a connection will look something like this, if you were using TCP: ./AuvikTunnel tcp:7777:10.0.40.45:3389:nanook

Now that the connection has been established, you can move on to accessing the device using your favourite connection tool.

Connect to the device with the tunnel

With the connection established, you can now connect to the device. A few examples of connections you might like to make to your client’s device:

FTP service

Remote browse using HTTP/HTTPS

Database queries against databases such as PSQ or MySQL

Remote desktop

Verification of discovery services (SNMP, SSH, Telnet). This is great if you need to check some commands against the device.

TFTP connection (only available via UDP)

VNC remote desktop

And many others...

For any of these, open your favorite tool for establishing the connection, for example, Microsoft Remote Desktop. Open the RDP tool, enter localhost:7777, and connect.